Natural fruit colour selection by frugivorous birds in Xishuangbanna

DUAN Qiong; QUAN Rui-Chang

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1141.2012.05427

Volume 33 Issue 5

Sep. 2012

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DUAN Qiong, QUAN Rui-Chang. Natural fruit colour selection by frugivorous birds in Xishuangbanna. Zoological Research, 2012, 33(5): 427-432. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1141.2012.05427

Citation:

DUAN Qiong, QUAN Rui-Chang. Natural fruit colour selection by frugivorous birds in Xishuangbanna. Zoological Research, 2012, 33(5): 427-432. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1141.2012.05427

DUAN Qiong, QUAN Rui-Chang. Natural fruit colour selection by frugivorous birds in Xishuangbanna. Zoological Research, 2012, 33(5): 427-432. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1141.2012.05427

Citation:

DUAN Qiong, QUAN Rui-Chang. Natural fruit colour selection by frugivorous birds in Xishuangbanna. Zoological Research, 2012, 33(5): 427-432. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1141.2012.05427

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Natural fruit colour selection by frugivorous birds in Xishuangbanna

doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1141.2012.05427

DUAN Qiong^1,2,
QUAN Rui-Chang¹

1.
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna Yunnan　666303, China;
2.
Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

Received Date: 2012-05-10
Rev Recd Date: 2012-06-01
Publish Date: 2012-10-10

Abstract

Abstract

Black and red are the most common colors of fruit, but the reason behind this has been subject to debate. Food preferences of avian frugivores for certain colors of food have been proposed as a selection mechanism that explains these traits, but there is little evidence supporting this hypothesis. Here, we conducted a lab experiment using four colors of natural fruit to evaluate color preferences of five avian species, and we also conducted this experiment in open area and understory habitats. Our results showed that red and black fruits were selected most often in lab experiment; in field experiment, red and black fruits were also the most preferred food, but the total amount of consumed fruits differed significantly between open areas and understory habitats. Our study suggested that differences in color preferences among frugivores may potentially reflect the diversity of fruit color and frequency in Xishuangbanna.
- Fruit color,
- Forest edge,
- Understory,
- Plant-animal interaction,
- Fruit color distribution pattern

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References(35)

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